At the Kathua rally, PM Modi had promised to "stand like a wall" against "attempts of the National Conference and the PDP to continue family rule" in the state.

Omar Abdullah said PM Modi should not forget the BJP's past alliances.

Highlights

PM repeats 2014 call to free Kashmir of "two family parties"

Was it "another jumla", what about alliance with PDP, Omar Abdullah asked

Both he and Mehbooba Mufti tweet pictures of PM greeting Kashmir leaders

Srinagar:

The National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today joined forces to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that the two regional parties had ruined three generations of Jammu and Kashmir, pointing out that the ruling BJP had joined forces with both on several instances in the past.

"'We have to rid J&K of these two political families,' says Modiji in 2014 & then promptly goes & makes not one but TWO members of the Mufti family CM of J&K. In 2019 Modiji says, 'We have to rid J&K of these two political families'. Another jumla, Modiji?" National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted soon after PM Modi said this to supporters at a rally in Jammu's Kathua today. He was referring to the BJP's decision in 2014 to align with the PDP to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir.

Omar Abdullah also tweeted a photograph of PM Modi hugging Mehbooba Mufti's father, the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to drive home his point. "This is how much Modiji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with one of the families he wants to rid J&K politics of," the caption read.

Mehbooba Mufti replied to Omar Abdullah's photo-tweet with one of her own.

At the rally, the Prime Minister had promised to "stand like a wall" against "attempts of the National Conference and the PDP to continue family rule" in the state. "The Abdullah and Mufti families destroyed the lives of three generations of Jammu and Kashmir. The state's bright future can be ensured only after their departure. They can bring their entire clan into field, can abuse Modi as much as they want, but they won't be able to divide this nation," he said.

I for once have never lowered political discourse by abusing opponents inc BJP. In order to gain sympathy & consequently power, PM is misleading people by equating himself with the nation. Every Indian owes his allegiance to India not PM Modi. India is not Modi & Modi isn't India

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti echoed Omar Abdullah's sentiment in her tweet. "Why does the PM bash political families pre-elections & then sends his envoys to stitch alliances with the very same parties? NC in 99 & PDP in 2015. Why do they choose power over Article 370 then? BJP with its noxious agenda of banishing Muslims & minorities wants to divide India," she said.

She also criticised the Prime Minister for allegedly portraying himself as an embodiment of the country. "In order to gain sympathy & consequently power, PM is misleading people by equating himself with the nation. Every Indian owes his allegiance to India, not PM Modi. India is not Modi & Modi isn't India," Mehbooba Mufti said.

PM Modi had taken on everybody from the regional parties to the Congress at the Kathua rally. He also picked on Pakistan, saying that India's cross-border strikes had exposed its "nuclear bluff".